The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is disputing whistleblower allegations from Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., arguing that critics have mischaracterized Trump-era renovation projects and procurement practices.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Kennedy Center officials say the senator’s allegations get key facts wrong, including that an «$8 million flooring contract» has been misrepresented, the Center isn’t subject to the federal contracting rules cited by critics, and that the renovation work complied with the law.

According to Kennedy Center officials, the renovations are part of a long-term infrastructure renewal addressing decades of deferred maintenance rather than politically motivated cosmetic projects. 

Officials said the work was made possible through new funding secured under Kennedy Center board chairman President Donald Trump.

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Whitehouse alleges that whistleblowers described a renovation effort that prioritized political optics over sound construction practices.

Whitehouse’s disclosure alleges renovations were rushed to satisfy Trump’s preferences, resulting in wasteful spending and improper contracting. 

Among the claims are that a newly installed bathroom floor was torn out because Trump disliked the tile color; steel columns were painted despite alleged rust beneath the surface; an $8 million flooring contract was awarded to a company with no concert hall experience; and renovations began before receiving congressional authorization.

Whitehouse argued the allegations demonstrate «waste» that treated the Kennedy Center «as if it were a private renovation project.»

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People watch construction workers build scaffolding near the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, June 12, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Kennedy Center officials disputed those allegations, arguing they rely on incomplete or misleading descriptions of renovation projects while misunderstanding both the institution’s legal authority and procurement process.

«The Center has taken measures to responsibly and transparently stabilize the facility while preparing for the comprehensive infrastructure renewal that decades of deferred maintenance have made unavoidable, a project now made possible by our Chairman’s [President Trump’s] vision, which has institutional support and new funding secured,» Roma Daravi, the Kennedy Center’s vice president of public relations, told Fox News Digital.

«As America’s cultural center, the institution makes every decision guided by responsible stewardship and an unwavering commitment to its patrons and the nation it proudly serves,» Daravi said. «We remain fully committed to transparency and to delivering the critical improvements that will preserve this institution for generations to come.»

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FILE – President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrive to attend the opening night of the musical «Chicago» at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. (Rod Lamkey, Jr./AP Photo)

The Center also cited a recent federal court ruling that it says supports the legal framework governing its renovation efforts.

According to the Kennedy Center, a May 29 opinion from the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia reaffirmed the institution’s legal status outside the executive branch. The Center argues that distinction is significant because Whitehouse’s allegations repeatedly suggest it violated federal procurement rules.

Specifically, Kennedy Center officials dispute Whitehouse’s contention that the institution was required to follow the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR).

Officials said the FAR governs executive agencies, while the Kennedy Center is overseen by a bipartisan Board of Trustees established by Congress.

According to the Center, it consulted with the Office of Management and Budget and confirmed the FAR «does not apply, and has never applied» to Kennedy Center procurements.

The institution nevertheless said it recently adopted updated procurement policies to eliminate lingering administrative confusion and strengthen public confidence in its contracting process.

FILE – Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., alleges whistleblowers described a renovation effort at the Kennedy Center that prioritized political optics. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Perhaps the biggest dispute centers on Whitehouse’s criticism of an $8 million flooring contract.

Kennedy Center officials said the oft-cited $8 million figure has been presented without important context.

Rather than an $8 million payment, officials said the agreement is a five-year blanket purchase agreement establishing only a maximum spending ceiling, with money obligated through individual call orders only when work is needed.

The Center also defended selecting Low Country Flooring, saying the company was the only vertically integrated contractor in the Mid-Atlantic capable of sourcing wood directly from timber mills while maintaining the grain consistency and acoustic performance required inside the concert hall.

Whitehouse also questioned work involving decorative columns.

The Kennedy Center said the contract complied with federal small business requirements because it was awarded to a certified SBA 8a contractor, which legally used subcontractors to perform portions of the work.

FILE – Perhaps the biggest dispute centers on alleged criticism of an $8 million flooring contract for the Kennedy Center. (Getty Images)

Officials added that any workmanship concerns remain covered by standard commercial warranties requiring corrective work if necessary.

The Center also disputed allegations involving reflecting pool repairs, saying the work was intended to stabilize structural deterioration, not restore the water feature to operation, and defended routine design decisions involving the Center’s historic presidential boxes as standard preservation work that did not create unnecessary costs for taxpayers.

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Whitehouse’s office, however, maintained that the Kennedy Center has not substantively engaged with the senator’s oversight requests.

«We have received no response from the Kennedy Center to the most recent letter, and no substantive response to any information requests dating back to November,» Whitehouse communications director Meaghan McCabe told Fox News Digital.

The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

El relato de César Armando Marroquín, coordinador de equipos tácticos de Protección Civil de El Salvador, expuso en televisión la dimensión más cruda y humana del operativo salvadoreño en Venezuela tras los devastadores terremotos.

La vivencia de hallar cuerpos, especialmente de niños, marcó a los rescatistas y definió el tono de una misión atravesada por la empatía, la resiliencia y la solidaridad internacional.

“No se borra encontrar cuerpos de niños”, reconoció Marroquín durante la entrevista en el programa Frente a Frente, donde repasó las jornadas más duras y los aprendizajes de una labor que va mucho más allá de la técnica.

El equipo salvadoreño, integrado por 300 personas de distintas instituciones, llegó a territorio venezolano con el objetivo claro de salvar vidas y colaborar en la remoción de escombros.

La realidad superó cualquier expectativa: enfrentaron jornadas de hasta doce horas, bajo calor intenso, y el peso emocional de buscar sobrevivientes entre estructuras colapsadas.

Las imágenes de familias destruidas y la experiencia de rescatar cuerpos de menores quedaron grabadas en la memoria de los especialistas. “Las labores en edificaciones muchas veces son muy terribles, porque tienes que observar diferentes tipos de escenarios”, relató Marroquín ante las cámaras.

La vivencia de los rescatistas fue acompañada por una atención psicológica permanente. Según explicó el coordinador de Protección Civil, cada integrante del equipo recibió sesiones de soporte emocional tanto en Venezuela como a su regreso. “Se hace una interfaz de los momentos vividos con el actual para poder llegar a un contexto normal de su situación laboral”, detalló Marroquín en la entrevista recogida por Frente a Frente.

Además, el impacto de ingresar a espacios reducidos, encontrar cuerpos y, en ocasiones, rescatar personas con vida, exige una fortaleza emocional que solo se cultiva con preparación y acompañamiento.

El testimonio de Marroquín incluyó escenas de tensión máxima, como la operación de rescate de una mujer atrapada junto a su pareja fallecida. “Al encontrar vida, haces hasta lo humanamente posible, técnicamente, para extraerla”, afirmó el coordinador. La intervención del componente médico de Fosalud fue clave: personal entrenado en estabilización y rescate se internó en los escombros para asistir a las víctimas, controlando riesgos y evitando complicaciones médicas.

La solidaridad se manifestó no solo en la colaboración internacional, sino también en la decisión de no abandonar el terreno mientras persista la posibilidad de encontrar sobrevivientes o entregar cuerpos a sus familiares. “No es abandonar a un pueblo que lo necesita”, sentenció Marroquín, en línea con la instrucción presidencial de mantener la presencia salvadoreña hasta el final de la emergencia.

La misión ha sorteado numerosos desafíos, desde la complejidad estructural de los edificios hasta la presión de las familias por obtener noticias de sus seres queridos. La remoción de escombros requirió maquinaria pesada enviada desde El Salvador y el trabajo coordinado con autoridades venezolanas. Se estableció un hospital de campaña y se distribuyeron 155 toneladas de suministros médicos y de primera necesidad para atender las demandas inmediatas de la población.

El hospital de campaña permanece activo, brindando servicios tanto a heridos como a quienes sufren quebrantos emocionales tras la pérdida de familiares. En lo logístico, el equipo de Protección Civil implementó relevos operativos para evitar golpes de calor y fatiga extrema.

A pesar de la magnitud de la emergencia, todos los rescatistas salvadoreños regresaron sanos y salvos. Al regresar, los integrantes del equipo pasaron por controles médicos y recibieron apoyo psicológico para procesar las experiencias vividas.

El compromiso salvadoreño sigue vigente. La operación humanitaria continúa en la zona, con la presencia de personal médico, rescatistas y apoyo logístico para la remoción de escombros y la atención a la población. La experiencia en Venezuela, sumada a misiones anteriores en países como Turquía, fortalece la preparación de los equipos tácticos y deja un aprendizaje clave: más allá de la técnica, es la humanidad la que sostiene cada rescate y acompaña a quienes enfrentan el dolor de la pérdida.

The Trump administration took the fight over who controls U.S. attorney appointments to a whole new level, firing a Seattle-based prosecutor less than an hour after he was picked for the job without the blessing of the administration.

«District court judges can appoint a temporary U.S. Attorney, and POTUS can fire them,» acting Attorney General Todd Blanche wrote Wednesday on X as he was testifying before the Senate in his confirmation hearing, calling out a U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington state panel for elevating Judge Roger Rogoff to be the top federal prosecutor in Seattle.

«WDWA judges abandoned the time-honored process of consultation with the administration so that the selected U.S. Attorney is qualified to serve in the administration,» Blanche said. «Roger Rogoff has been fired by the President.»

That post came after Rogoff, 57, a former King County Superior Court judge and longtime state and federal prosecutor, was sworn in before 8 a.m. local time at the federal courthouse in downtown Seattle as U.S. attorney for the Western District of Washington.

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He then went to the U.S. Attorney’s Office and asked to meet with Charles Neil Floyd, the Trump administration’s preferred choice for the job, whose 120-day interim term expired in February.

While Rogoff waited in the lobby, he received an email notifying him that Trump had removed him from office.

Rogoff’s situation was not mentioned in Blanche’s Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday, but Blanche is back before the Senate again Thursday and Rogoff now might be a notable topic of discussion during his confirmation process.

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The quick dismissal came after all 17 active and senior federal judges in the deep-blue district appointed Rogoff to the vacancy. The judges, appointed by five presidents (10 by Democrats and seven by Republicans), had opened an application process after the administration did not send Floyd’s nomination to the Senate and instead kept him in place by making him first assistant U.S. attorney while leaving the top job vacant.

U.S. attorneys, who serve as the Justice Department’s chief federal prosecutors in each district, are normally nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate. Federal law allows the attorney general to name an interim U.S. attorney for 120 days. If that period expires without a confirmed nominee, district judges may appoint someone to serve until the vacancy is filled.

Because of obstruction by Democrats in the narrowly held Senate, the Trump administration has resorted to using acting titles and other personnel moves to keep its prosecutors in place. Courts have pushed back in several Democrat-heavy districts like Seattle and New Jersey, issuing legal challenges to the Justice Department and White House authority.

«I don’t think it’s the way to run the Department of Justice,» Rogoff told The New York Times. «When you have this sort of made up way of putting people in these positions, the process breaks down.»

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., opposed Floyd for the U.S. attorney job and blasted Rogoff’s quick firing.

«Throughout his career, he has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to public service, and he was appointed legally by the federal judges in the Western District of Washington,» Murray wrote in a statement. «This administration doesn’t want to deal with advice and consent — they just want to install cronies to carry out a corrupt political agenda.»

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Trump administration officials have long noted that the «advise and consent» role of the Senate does not grant Democrats against Trump’s administrative priorities to be a hard block on his agenda and nominees, though.

Rogoff has retained an employment law firm and is considering a legal challenge to his firing.

Fox News Digital reached out to Rogoff for comment.

The Seattle clash follows similar disputes elsewhere. In New Jersey, Alina Habba resigned as the top federal prosecutor after an appeals court said she had been serving unlawfully. In Virginia, Lindsey Halligan left an acting U.S. attorney post after a judge found her appointment unlawful and dismissed indictments she had brought against New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey.

The administration has also fired court-appointed U.S. attorneys in other districts.

Rogoff, who spent 20 years as a state prosecutor and six as a federal prosecutor before becoming a state judge, said he knew the administration might fire him immediately. Despite this, he said he had no qualms about the potential conflict he was walking into, because being U.S. attorney is «the best job there is.»

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«I’m really proud of my career,» Rogoff said. «The fact that the judges of this district — most of whom I’ve spent my career appearing in front of, or trying cases against, or working with — believed that I was the right person to do this work is just really humbling and amazing.»

The Associated Press contributed to this report.